The Rundown

The Return of Hillary Clinton?

By Ben Pershing
For the first time in recent memory, Hillary Clinton was a prominent figure in the headlines yesterday. She appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warning that the Pakistani government now faces an "existential threat" from Islamic militants. (At the same hearing, Howard Berman, the panel chairman, passed on the opinion of experts that "Pakistan could collapse in as little as six months." How comforting.)

But more than anything Clinton said about Pakistan, it was her defense of President Obama that drew the most attention. When Clinton was asked about Dick Cheney's assertion that the Bush administration's interrogation policies helped make America safer, Clinton responded, "It won't surprise you that I don't consider him a particularly reliable source of information." And when asked about Obama's much-discussed handshake with Hugo Chavez, Clinton said she found the contoversy "somewhat amusing, to be honest," and reminded the committee that Obama had won the election -- and beaten her -- by promising "a different approach" on foreign policy.

It wasn't the most stirring defense, but a defense it was, and it served as a reminder of Clinton's relatively low-profile in the first months of her tenure. To an extent, that makes sense; it's not the job of any Cabinet secretary to overshadow her boss, Obama has generally preferred to make major public announcements himself, and the White House is surely relieved that the Obama vs. Clinton storyline has been largely dormant since the Inauguration. But Clinton is a bona fide celebrity, the only one in the administration -- apologies to Hilda Solis and Shaun Donovan -- other than Obama. So when the president needs a surrogate to step up and help deliver his message, and rebut the criticism of a major figure like Cheney, Clinton is the obvious choice.

Comments

Drug addicts are insane. The obvious insatiable drive of those who are the "power elite" are very clear in the needs of their wants and desires: chemicals/drugs/poisons in infinite amounts to ingest, digest and most especially to commit eugenics ... a biowarfare drug of swine, bird and human?? Oh my, chi ching Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Bill/Hillary, et al. AND all due to THEIR hero --Mengele's modern science, adding HL Menken's quote about Americans. Poly-addicted human beings become criminally insane and stop at nothing to be the enabler god of their blood lust for poisons (drugs/chemicals), money, power and then the obvious ... feeling only through killing since they are obviously already dead themselves or else they would not behave as though zombified lower-brained (reptilian) monsters.

Posted by: ZangSenFeng | April 26, 2009 6:47 PM

Hilary, you are a piece of work. You want "investigations" you want truth. How ignorant are you that your husband was "boinkin" interns in the White House with you there. Did you know about it? Was it that you don't care as long as your career moves forward. How much security was breached? If you want to know about a White House failure look at the pillow next to you. Your husband was/is an embarrassment to this country and you continue in that vein. Attention Clintons - go away.

Posted by: patilee | April 25, 2009 3:26 PM

Hillary Clinton is as narcissistic as her sort of husband . Always looking for the headlines. I would like to have her PUT out GOVERNMENT COMPLETELY AS SHE IS ONLY OUT FOR HERSELF !!!!!

Posted by: Nancianne | April 24, 2009 6:40 PM

I have never heard so much bs in my whole life and I am 79 years old.

Dick Cheney is a draft dodging, pathological liar,,,,as most of everything else that came out of the George W. Bush administration. Bush just has sense enough, and I never thought he had any, to keep his mouth shut. Pity Cheney can't do the same thing. Scooter Libby keeping his mouth shut is the only thing that has saved that liar. Pity Scooter doesn't speak up.

Posted by: bettyb2 | April 24, 2009 11:05 AM

Hilary, let's see, if my information is right, and I did download a picture of Bill Clinton with the original group that started ACORN and I did download their manifesto and their program for what they want to accomplish. What has this got to do with Hilary??? She was their lawyer, back in Arkansas and she helped them write the articles and their program...Need I say more??? She will never be a Madeline Albright or a Condalesa Rice in my book. Now those were bright, courageous women and the world leaders respected them. Even the "reset" button she gave to the Russians was spelled wrong. I bet someone in her office got the full impact of her anger on that one.....

Posted by: noseyten | April 24, 2009 8:35 AM

vitaglubet...you are my hero!!!

Well said, something people seem to forget. Neither party had great candidates... but that may have led Hillary to underestimate the election so badly that she was broke only a few months in, could not recover the lead once her campaign got wobbly!! My goodness.

Hillaryismygirl08....sorry to say that Hillary does seem quite the liar. Please pick a scandal and lets discuss it. Choose the scandal of your choice, going back as many years as you like. If you can remember all the way back to her Refco trading days...I gotta hunch her trading was bogus and I used to work there. Please think hard, and we could pick it apart at your leisure. Oh, and how the missing Rose Law firm files were found with her personal belongings years later in the white house is most likely an innocent mistake as well.

Posted by: twotraps | April 24, 2009 2:42 AM

Her performance yesterday and today was spectacular and very reassuring for US foreign policy. The top diplomat is very well versed on every issue, knows when to be tough, and when to be humorous, and mostly is directing a brilliant policy agenda compared to her predecessors.

Posted by: inwashington | April 23, 2009 10:11 PM

Hillarysmygirl08 is still living in la la land. No one with a modicum of analytic ability would possibly believe that Hillary has the ability to tell the truth and I find it ludicrous that they still listen to her. She is a pathological liar and sticks by a guy that has no respect for her. Hard to imagine what we have become when she is the second best that the democrats can come up with and that McCain is the best that the republicans can come up with. We are doomed if we don't vote out all incumbents.

Posted by: vitaglubet | April 23, 2009 4:27 PM

I have all the confidence in the world when it comes to Hillary. I also see much
success on the horizon for our Country due
to Hillary's actions.

Poor Obama needs to learn to speak without the teleprompter.

Posted by: electress | April 23, 2009 4:18 PM

A nuclear-free world is not a prospect in any conscious mind.

This is simply very indicative of an administration not being in step with all realities currently evident in our world.

Is anyone in the MSM really dissecting what is truly being said in Washington?

Posted by: JamesRaider | April 23, 2009 3:31 PM

Here we go again more scandals all of which were UNFOUNDED. The Obama campaign and the Republicans have used the same bogus information for years it doesn't matter that nothing concerning Hillary was and still is unproven.
I guess that this unproven garbage will be talked about for years. Perhaps if Republicans would have not let Bush get away with murder then they wouldn't have lost power in both the House and Senate.
When is the Hillary bashing stop? I hope that those Republicans who support Sarah remember that these two women have the same problems with sexism.

Posted by: Hillarysmygirl08 | April 23, 2009 2:44 PM

I am still amazed by the stupid comments about the Clintons and scandals. Of course she couldn't recall things. Do you remember every stupid, boring thing you did at work more than a decade ago? I'm sure if she had known it would be investigated she might have taken better mental notes but she didn't have that knowledge more than a decade in advance. Try to remember that the Starr Report used the word "Whitewater" about five times in the 400 page official report. There wasn't anything there. No evidence that she ever did anything wrong whatsoever no matter how desperate some conservatives are to believe that she did.
The real purpose of those investigations was to harp on Bill Clinton's affairs, which frankly were their business and the majority of Americans just didn't care.

Posted by: stephanie2 | April 23, 2009 1:25 PM

depoulins, slightly off the mark, but representative of Hillary Clinton or just 'Clinton' supporters!! Very quick to defend...but you missed my point.

I would never defend Obama in the experience department. I agree with you, its shocking he made it through!

Do you really want to defend the Clintons? The power couple that embarassed and disgraced the White House with lies and scandal? The woman that said she '...cannot recal' a record breaking number of times to a grand jury (oh...she was also the first, First Lady to ever be required to testify in an investigation), that 'misspeaks' and 'missremembers' herself to a million dollar book deal? Please tell me you are not here to defend her record on Anything.

If you care, maybe we should narrow it down to the time she was selling pardons with her brother....I think the US Govt finally shamed her into giving the $400,000 back!

C'mon, are you sure you want to go there?

Posted by: twotraps | April 23, 2009 1:12 PM

To Irickman---You haven't the slightest idea of what you are taliing about. First,
politicians do criticize some of their former leaders. Obama is the perfect example. He and his administration have criticized Bush for the last 100 days, including in overseas environments where he apologized for the U.S. screwing up the world.
Secondly, as far as the 1993 World Trade center bombing, President Clinton DID
INVESTIGATE and DID PROSECUTE, and DID GET CONVICTIONS and the perpetrators were jailed!!!!!!
If you don't know the facts or don't want to use them, you shouldn't bother us with your stupid blogs.

Posted by: depoulins | April 23, 2009 1:10 PM

What ridiculous comments regarding the Clintons. These bloggers hate them so much that they gladly voted for the least experienced and least knowledgable candidate for president since I began voting nearly 60 years ago.
Obama has no experience in economics, auto manufacturing or any other manufacturing, banking, foreign affairs, public education , health care, environment, energy and on and on and on. and on and on and on. Yet, you "believers" trust him to solve all of the world's problems because he gives a good teleprompter speech.

Posted by: depoulins | April 23, 2009 12:52 PM

Hillary Clinton is not even in the same class as Dick Cheney. She's a narcissistic liar and he is a brilliant and selfless public servant. To suggest that what she does or says is to be believed tells me that some of the press holds the public in contempt. I guess they're right if you look at most of the people we elect to congress as a sign of our intelligence.

Posted by: vitaglubet | April 23, 2009 12:24 PM

With the same 'feline instincts' as Hillary, I am not impressed. Yes she is a bright and intelligent lady... but during her campaingn she lost me by becoming someone I couldnt recognize.

Once you lose me politically, the relationship is over. Hope however, she has a good tenure as SoS. In this time of crises, the best minds are needed to get the job done. http://manchestersquare.blogspot.com

Posted by: Victoria5 | April 23, 2009 12:23 PM

irichman....I agree for the most part. Obama does need to show a very strong hand and its yet unclear if he will or not.

Wasn't there another bombing in the States where US citizens were killed and the Clintons made some deal letting them off the hook for the most part?

I really appreciate you bringing that up so I'm not the only one questioning why we as a country continue to put up with the Clintons.

Posted by: twotraps | April 23, 2009 11:45 AM

Hillary Clinton made a big mistake in front of Congress when she criticized Cheney. Professional politicians do not criticize other politicians that held positions in the previous administration. Ms. Clinton should criticize Pres.Clinton, after the World Trade attack during his administration. Pres.Clinton did not investigate the terrorists.He could have nipped the terrorists in the bud before the awful attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Pres. Clinton is a pacifist as is Obama as is Carter.The US has to show a strong hand to the world if it wants to be the premier power.We do not need a president bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia, shaking hands with Chavez and cozying up to Castro. We need a president who shows a strong hand. Ms. Clinton should not be making excuses for Obama when Chavez came over to shake his hand and give him a book. It shows how she would handle dictators if she were ever elected.She is throwing away her chances of ever being nominated for the presidency again.

Posted by: irichman | April 23, 2009 11:34 AM

I was sad to hear Hillary Clinton was awarded a top level job...its far better than having to say 'Mrs. President'....but its still more than she deserves. Unfortunately, the country has a short memory and has always been too forgiving concerning the Clintons. It will be interesting to see if she is able to maintain a low profile and actually produce something lasting with her considerable politcal/manipulative skills. I admit in advance my bias...just disappointment with years of Clinton scandal/embarassment and complete wonderment with her being taken seriously.

Posted by: twotraps | April 23, 2009 11:22 AM

"The Return of Hillary Clinton?"

YES, BUT IN GOOD WAY!!!!!

Obama needs to keep eye on her, because she will backstab him.
MARK MY POST IF YOU THINK I AM WORNG!!!